Dan, Dan, Dan ...
When I was at Irwin and APG, the hobby shops (wood craft shops) had small
libraries with plans for a variety of projects. I'm sure you could
locate a decent plan there, and might even find a troopie with extra time
on his or her hands to build you one for a small sum. I would suggest
that you consider building it in removable modules so that it can be
broken down for shipment as hold baggage (tip: clean and repaint it
before the packers get there, disassemble it, put it in your kitchen, and
claim it's a butcher's table....).
Because you're probably going to be in military housing for awhile, you
need to be concerned with overall length. I wouldn't go over eight feet.
You want the height to be comfortable for you, so figure out where the
height would be if you were going to bear down on a recalcitrant fastener
with a screwdriver. For most of us, that would be about 36" (which also
lets you fit two 12" shelves in). Then you need to figure out how
wide/deep to make the bench. I like 30", only because it's a nice
multiple of a 2" x 10" (which really isn't that measurement under the new
math, more like 1.75" x 9.5"). Legs should be sufficiently sturdy to
support the bench top, stand up to occasional beating, and hold up an
engine or gearbox with grunting or swaying. 4" x 4" posts should work
here.
My next suggestion would be to make it in two evenly sized sections. The
sections could be bolted together to form one long bench, bolted at right
angles to form a corner bench, or left separate to form two separate
benches. Also, smaller pieces are easier to ship.
Next, don't forget to plan on putting the vise at one end or the other,
depending on where you are forced to set it up the bench. Drill the
holes for mounting now, and consider getting a local S&R shop to make you
a piece of metal to reinforce the counter top corner under the vice
(while you're at it, get a piece of pipe with a 'cup' welded to it, cut
to fit under the open end of the vice to support the vice when you're
really putting some pressure on it).
Make sure you put a backstop or lip at the rear top of the bench to
prevent parts from sliding off and getting lost (it also helps prevent
you from banging into the wall and creating a mess you'll have to clean
up/fix. For that matter, get some old carpet and put it front of the
bench to absorb spills and be more comfortable for standing. Also,
consider installing one or more fused multi-outlet strips on the bench to
provide a convenient power source.
I would build the top out of three 2" x 10" pieces covered with a sheet
of masonite, and finish the edges with some aluminum angle (ground this,
FWIW). Coat the top with a good quality paint or urethane for easy
cleaning. The top would be boxed underneath with 2" x 4" all the way
around, and constructed so that it fit over the top of the legs like a
cap (to allow you to bolt through the side of the top into the legs).
The legs should be placed at two foot intervals, with a short piece of 2"
x 4" across the center legs on the underside of the table. The shelves
should be constructed so that they fit between the legs, and have a boxed
underside like the top to allow bolting. These will also secure the legs
and prevent any shifting or slanting. Leave the gap for the shelves to
the inside rather than at the ends; otherwise you'll bang your knees
regularly.
Thus, the top and shelves are permanently constucted pieces (glued and
screwed), and designed to be bolted to the legs to form one unit. Sounds
so good, I think I'll do it myself (but the SO's garage already has one,
so....).
Luck,
Rich (current custodian of Ed Kaler's garage photo album, and who really
is planning to mail it back to him with many thanks)
'74.5 RB MGB "Miss Maggie"
'78 Chevy Half-Ton "Waltzin' Matilda" (LBC Support Vehicle)
'79 Midget "Miss Molly"
richard.arnold@juno.com or rdarnold@neonramp.com
|